This is a one-off evdence session on the work of the UK Border Agency, in particular the removal from the UK of foreign national prisoners, progress on reducing the backlog of historical asylum cases, and other topical immigration issues, including the e-Borders programme.

Rt Hon Keith Vaz MP, Chairman of the Committee, said:

“Since the issue of foreign national prisoners not being deported from the UK came to light three years ago, this Committee has led scrutiny of the Government’s action to remove these individuals. We welcome this opportunity to quiz the Chief Executive of the UK Border Agency on the latest figures.

"We have on several occasions criticised the still significant backlog of undecided asylum cases, and recommended that the UK Border Agency invest the resources needed to clear this backlog quickly. We look forward to discussing these matters with the Chief Executive. We also remain very concerned about the unacceptable backlog of cases where individuals have to wait on average two years for a decision on their case.”